Vancouver Condo Social Network Inks Tridel Deal

Joannah Connolly

June 26, 2014

Vancouver social networking company bazinga! has signed a deal with Canada's largest highrise condo developer, Tridel, to integrate its social media platform into the developer's new and existing homes, bazinga! announced June 25.

The partnership will increase bazinga!'s footprint to almost 100,000 homes, says the company.

Bazinga!, which is best described as Facebook for condos, allows residents and strata managers to communicate about building issues, access important documents and receive news about their community. It is already being integrated into PortLiving's Midtown project in Mount Pleasant (see " Cool Tech for the Smart Home").

"People are living closer than ever, yet few of us know our own neighbours," said Joseph Nakhla, founder and CEO of bazinga!. "At bazinga!, we want to disrupt the way people think about traditional community living by putting the power of community back into the hands of homeowners.

"Tridel understands that a home is more than just its walls, it's also the experience and care a resident receives after completion. Our partnership with Tridel is another milestone for bazinga! and is a strong indicator of the uptake we have been seeing across North America in recent months."

Jim Ritchie, Tridel's Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, said, "As technology and the needs of homebuyers evolved, we have looked for the right partnership that will offer long lasting value to our residents and property managers. We believe this is bazinga! and are thrilled to offer our homebuyers more than just a home, but a community."

The integration of bazinga! will also allow residents to provide direct feedback to Tridel about the condos they build. With this data, building design or management can be adapted to appeal to the evolving demands of condo buyers which will ultimately increase overall customer satisfaction, said the company.

Developers of new buildings pay a licensing fee to implement Bazinga up front, while existing properties that want the service will have the cost paid by the property management company or maintenance fees.

Bazinga! typically costs no more than $2 per user per month, which the company says compares well against the typical costs for photocopying and postage that condo boards pay.

Joannah Connolly is editorial director of Glacier Real Estate, Glacier Media's real estate division. Joannah writes and curates real estate news for Glacier Media's local newspaper websites, including the Vancouver Courier, North Shore News, Burnaby Now, Tri-City News and others. She also oversees editorial content in Real Estate Weekly Homes, West Coast Condo, Western Investor and Glacier's special real estate publications. A dual Canadian-British citizen, Joannah has 22 years of journalism and editing experience in Vancouver and London, with a background in construction, architecture, healthcare and business media. Joannah has appeared on major local TV outlets as a real estate commentator, has moderated and spoken on various industry panels, and spent two years hosting the Real Estate Therapist radio show on Roundhouse Radio.